Officials from the European Commission and 15 member states discreetly met with a Taliban delegation on Tuesday in an attempt to speed up the deportation of Afghan migrants to the country.
The meeting in Brussels, whose details and venue were not disclosed, was harshly criticised by progressive lawmakers and civil society organisations for liaising with an authoritarian regime that regularly violates human rights.
The gathering was co-chaired by Sweden, one of the countries with the largest Afghan population per capita. It was held outside the Commission's institutional premises and took place on a strictly technical level because of the lack of recognition of the Taliban government that took over the country in 2021.
The discussions focused on the return of irregular Afghan migrants "who have committed serious crimes or pose a security threat", a Commission spokesperson said in a statement. European countries are often unable to repatriate these individuals as the Afghan authorities do not accept them back.
"It is incredibly important that these criminals are deported," Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell told local media. "And that is not possible today. They do not want to participate. They do not want to go home."
